Civilization V Getting Steamworks, Digital Deluxe Edition

2K Games and Valve have announced that Civilization V will support Steamworks, and there’ll be a Steam-exclusive “Digital Deluxe Edition” to celebrate, as well as a bonus for pre-orders.Steamworks functionality means that the game will feature Steam’s multiplayer matchmaking, achievements, auto-patching functionality, DLC, and the like. Those who pre-order either the base game or the Digital Deluxe Edition will get a map pack titled “Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Mesopotamia” for free. As the title implies, the pack allows players to “experience the traditional Western and Middle Eastern ‘Cradle of Civilization,'” and packs in the Fertile Crescent with the Nile River valley to the west, extending east down the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys to the Persian Gulf. We’re told to expect new terrain, cultures, and conquests.Then we’ve got the Digital Deluxe Edition, which adds in the new Babylonian civilization, their ruler Nebuchadnezzar II, and their unique Babylonian Bowmen. Those who opt for this will also get a behind the scenes video, and the game’s soundtrack.In celebration, every Civilization title on Steam is currently on sale. That’s essentially Civilization III and IV and all of their expansions, either individually or in a bundle, for 75 per cent off. This means that Civilization III Complete will cost you a mere £0.75 GBP, while Civilization IV Complete – containing Civ IV, Warlords, Beyond the Sword, and the recent Colonization remake – is £6.25 GBP. The deals will last until Monday.We don’t have much in the way of concrete details on Civ V, but we know there are a few definite changes. For starters, it’s hex-based. Oh, and it’s out on PC in autumn.